brrfandomcom-20200214-history
RF c04s01
Text Ardent Desire had never expected things to go this far, to have... this much. He had never expected to become so powerful, to feel the way he did now, after almost a month had passed. He had thought the demon would give him a few pretty mares, and a nice little home... instead, Cupidus' "sample" of power had given him a mansion, wealth beyond measure, and... and so many beautiful things... The orange stallion smiled as he sat back atop an enormous, comfortable cushion, with no less than three mares all-but-crawling all over him. They fawned over him, touched him, kissed him... to them, he was the most handsome thing in the world, even if he was aware that he'd gotten a little fat with all this decadence and laziness. His manse had been cleaned, repaired, and expanded: he had more than a dozen 'earth pony' servants, who he treated well and paid generously. He also allowed the ponies to grow crops in the acres and acres of fields he now owned... except for the ones he had given away to Greenmoss in a gesture of friendship, so the 'earth ponies' could have their own land. Greenmoss had been surprised but delighted, even if he seemed unsure of what to think of this strange, strange unicorn who buried himself in beauty and pleasure. The building also included a large dormitory for his harem: mares who had come under his influence, to one extent or another. He had convinced himself he was doing them a favor: the dormitories were clean and sparkling, they were tended to by both the servants and the Kelpies, he fed them, took care of them, adored them. He lavished gifts upon them, which they just loved him all the more for: he was good to them, and he had made sure that they would care about and love each other, too. He told himself they were his family... family who always listened to him, always did what he asked, always cared for him. His sisters had their own rooms, but... when he wasn't entertaining a mare... or two... or three... for the night, Ardent Desire often let Morning Glory stay with him in the master bedroom. She would hold him all night long, and he always woke up feeling his very best after the night with her. Ardent Desire reasoned to himself that he was just doing it to make her happy, that she was the weird little sister, he wasn't the big brother who had transformed his sibling into the perfect mother figure for him. Radiant Beacon spent most of her time following around her big sister, when she wasn't with Ardent Desire. She was the ideal little sister, loyal, loving to a fault, innocent, and was always there to speak for him when... things got complicated. Ardent Desire had no influence over the male side of the species, after all, and while he had developed a lot of power in the city, he still sometimes ran afoul of ponies who strongly, strongly disliked what he was doing. He didn't think what he was doing was so wrong though, even with him exercising his powers more often, and sometimes wandering into town to find... a strange mare, a mare he could tantalize just for the night, or even just bring to a back alley somewhere, just... to taste something different. To try something different. Ever since he'd accidentally hit Rhubarb with a full blast of his influence, he'd been using his powers more and more... not because he wanted to control mares, of course, just because... he needed to master them or risk... well, doing what he did to Rhubarb again. The mare-in-question was one of the three currently resting against him, her gray coat almost sparkling as she smiled and nuzzled into him almost hungrily. She had felt all his pent-up desires, his wants, his needs, and how he needed her to listen to him, to give in to him, to obey him... and now she did. Now she his puppet on the local council, much as he hated to think of her like that... but it was true. She only had eyes and ears for him, loved him unconditionally, did and gave over anything he asked for. So it only made sense for him to use his powers more, right? Because then he could avoid hurting mares like he recognized he hurt her, and instead... help them. Help them experience pleasure alongside him without becoming fully devoted to him, like Lovesong, the violet Pegasus sprawled over his lap. She looked up at him dreamily, but she still had free will... he didn't want to hurt these mares. He just wanted to... help them enjoy their time with him. That was all. There was nothing wrong with that, right? Ardent Desire smiled as the third mare – bright pink, soft, fleece-white mane, and he always told himself that really, she didn't look anything at all like Morning Glory – leaned in and kissed his cheek. Rosie Heart, one of his favorites of the... oh... twenty or so mares he had in dormitory. Not that he'd tried to accumulate twenty mares, no no no. Some just... followed him home and... well... it would be rude to say no to their offers or send them away, right? "How are you, Lord Desire?" "Oh, I'm good. I'm very good." Ardent Desire chuckled, then he looked happily down over the mares before his eyes flicked up curiously when Morning Glory strode through the archway and into the room. She looked at him strangely, and he smiled at her before asking kindly: "How are you, sister?" "I..." Morning Glory reached up and touched her necklace: she always wore it, just like she always wore the golden anklets he had also given her. Her mane was tied back with a pretty bow and adorned with flowers, just like their mother's had often been, and Ardent Desire looked over her dreamily before staring in surprise when Morning Glory glared at him. "I'm confused! Why am I here? Where... why did I follow you here..." She stopped, frowned as her eyes seemed to glow faintly, and then she shook her head as Ardent Desire shifted uneasily. His eyes flicked nervously back and forth, and then Morning Glory looked across at him before touching her own features and murmuring: "I haven't been training, have I? No, I should do that... I think that's what I meant to ask you about, big brother. And... and... why am I wearing..." She seemed to wrestle with herself as she clutched at her necklace, then shook her head quickly before clenching her eyes shut and muttering: "This last month feels so dreamlike, so... impossible... why..." "Why don't you go talk to Greenmoss, he... he can probably come up with something and... girls, girls go with her!" Ardent Desire said hurriedly, and the three mares looked up with smiles as they stood. Morning Glory frowned across at Ardent Desire, but when he forced himself to smile at her, she sighed and nodded moodily. She lingered for a moment even as the other mares passed around her, and then she shook her head slowly before turning around, murmuring: "It feels like something is happening to me, Ardent Desire... I don't like this feeling. Like someone's playing with my head..." Morning Glory muttered to herself as she strode away, leaving Ardent Desire sitting back in his plush comfort room alone, breathing hard. He stared down at himself, then looked back and forth wildly, counting the days in his mind before he opened his mouth... but before he could even call on the devil, Cupidus' voice came softly: "Yes, Ardent Desire?" "What's happening?" Ardent Desire leapt to his hooves, spinning around to see Cupidus standing in a corner nearby. Then the stallion frowned as he realized the devil was holding a pocketwatch, asking uncertainly: "N-No, no... no. I haven't... I mean..." "No, not yet. You still have several hours... but the enchantment is beginning to fade. It will fade first from those you first influenced, Ardent Desire, and then from everything else." Cupidus explained calmly, and the masked creature slipped his watch back into his cloak. "You will soon be left with only what you have strictly earned. I feel I should warn you that unfortunately, most of what you have earned is debt." Ardent Desire blinked slowly, and Cupidus calmly rose a thin claw, gesturing at him. "All the money you used to pay for things, came from the sample. It was not earned: had you invested those bits wisely, you could have earned generous returns. Likewise, you have used your allure to influence mares, but you have brought them into your home, which was paid for by the coins that shortly will become dust. You have made promises to them that you will be unable to keep." "No, no, no! I... can't I fix this? And Morning Glory, oh no, no, if Morning Glory... are you saying that... she's... she's going to go back to her old self?" Ardent Desire looked terrified at this thought, looking over his shoulder at the archway as he thought of the flash of her he'd seen just moments ago. "If... if she goes back to how she was before, if she stops loving me, I... oh no, no, no, no... she'll kill me! She'll literally kill me!" "If she returned to the way she was before, then yes. She very likely would." Cupidus agreed, and Ardent Desire whimpered, then stared as the devil said quietly: "But I do have a method by which you can continue to enjoy both wealth and pleasure, paying not only your debts but buying even more. This sample I gave you, after all, was by necessity only a limited example of what I can offer you, speaking in terms of both time and subject." "What... what are you... are you saying... a contract? We can make a deal, I... I can make a trade to you for something?" Ardent Desire whispered, stepping forwards and looking hopeful... and then he stared when Cupidus calmly pulled a scroll out from the sleeve of his cloak, holding it out towards the stallion. Ardent Desire stepped forwards, trembling, and Cupidus said quietly: "I can give you back everything you had... and more. I can expand your influence and charisma so your presence will make other males respect you, as well as delight females. I can reshape your weak and spoiled body into something stronger and more fitting for a stallion of your caliber and station." The orange stallion shifted at this, looking down at himself: paunchy, rotund... he shivered a little, his trust in the devil so complete that he believed his words without hesitation, about both his virtues and his faults. "I... I just have to sign? What... what can I offer you, Cupidus?" "In return I would ask that after your death, you will serve me in Helheim for a period of time. How long that period of time is depends on the expense of the gifts I will give you... in essence, I merely ask that in return for the time and effort I put into making your mortal life better now, in the future you will pay off your debt to me by working for me." Cupidus half-bowed politely, still holding the scroll up as Ardent Desire shifted nervously, but his eyes stared longingly at the scroll. "You will be in Helheim, but safe under my care, and as you believe, not all demons are 'evil,' to use a mortal word. And after you have repaid your debt to me, you will be permitted to go about your way." "So... to Heaven? Or... I don't know, is Helheim... I guess Helheim can't be all bad, since not all demons are bad, right?" Ardent Desire looked almost desperately across at the demon, but his orange eyes were unblinking and emotionless, and the stallion shivered a bit before he asked finally: "What... I mean... what kind of tasks would I be doing, though?" "You were trained as a scholar. I have many accounts to keep informed of in Helheim, and your main task would be to assist me in keeping track of balances, debts owed, other crucial information. Perhaps I might also employ you to deliver messages or take dictation." Cupidus gestured absently, and Ardent Desire nodded a few times before the devil added calmly: "If you agree, I will also need to place a special mark on you. Something that will differentiate you from other souls and mark you as having entered into a contract with me." The orange stallion licked his lips nervously, and then he winced and looked up as a mare's voice shouted angrily: "What are you talking about? No, I'm going to go and see Ardent Desire right now about this!" Loud hoofsteps, but thankfully they halted, then faded, and the stallion shivered a bit before looking up as Cupidus said quietly: "With every minute that passes, your allure and what you have done fades. You must make your decision quickly." "I... I..." Ardent Desire's eyes almost rolled in his head, breathing rapidly in and out as he looked wildly back and forth, and then he nodded wildly. "Okay, okay! Yeah, I agree, I'll... I'll work for you as long as you need me... longer, if it's a good job, even, I... I don't... please!" But Cupidus only calmly held up his free hand even as he allowed the scroll to unroll in the other, revealing a few runes across the top... but nothing else written on the parchment. Ardent Desire's mouth worked, his breathing picking up as he whimpered a little, wondering if this was some kind of sick joke before the devil instructed: "You must speak your exact wish, Ardent Desire. Announce your name, and then tell me what you want, and do not hold back. And you must also use the phrase: 'and I pledge my soul and service to the devil that holds this contract, until such time as my payment is fulfilled.' You must be specific, or the contract will be voided." "Okay, okay... o-okay..." Ardent Desire took a few shuddering breaths, and then he smiled weakly, whispering: "Thank you, Cupidus, I... you could have really trampled me here, you... could have really twisted things around on me and made me your servant forever or something and... I appreciate that you've been so good to me." "Business." Cupidus said calmly, and Ardent Desire laughed a little, still looking grateful as the orange eyes of the devil regarded him soullessly, silently from beneath his golden mask. "Speak now. Before your sister returns." This made Ardent Desire wince and nod, and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Inside, he measured his desires, felt them growing... and heard, in the depths of his heart and soul, the faintest whisper of warning, of fear. He ignored it though, instead looking up and saying calmly: "I, Ardent Desire, I wish... I wish to continue to enjoy what I was given. Allure, wealth and... and power. I want to be loved, and adored, and to feel... needed. I want the control back that I had before, and... to... to be big and strong and to have money... and... I pledge my servitude and my soul to the devil that holds this contract, until... my payment is... paid." Ardent Desire opened his eyes, and then he stared across at the contract, seeing that his own words had formed in black ink across it... and below, a line drew itself, ending in an X. The unicorn trembled for a moment, looking across at this before Cupidus said quietly: "You must sign your name, or spill your blood upon the contract. Either will suffice as agreement, as long as your blood is given willingly." "Blood?" Ardent Desire shivered a bit, then he looked back and forth before wincing when Cupidus pulled a fountain pen out of his cloak, with a tip that glinted sharply, dangerously. "Yes. Blood. Blood is the signature of the soul. To most demons and courts of Helheim, a mark in blood has preference over a signed name, so long as it is placed by the entity that holds legal claim to it." Cupidus replied, and Ardent Desire looked stumped for a moment before the devil shook his head. "Just mark the contract with the pen, Ardent Desire. And your wishes will come true." "Just... I don't have to sign or poke myself or anything?" Ardent Desire reached out to take the pen in his hoof, then he shrugged a little before placing it to the parchment. Then a bolt of pain shot through his foreleg, and he yelped as he yanked the pen to the side in surprise, leaving a long, red smear over the scroll as he half-threw the pen across the room. It bounced off the wall and fell to the floor with a clatter as Ardent Desire clutched at his limb, cursing in surprise... and then, slowly, he looked up to stare at the red streak over the paper. It glistened as the orange stallion felt a weight drop into his stomach, felt his breathing quicken as he wondered silently what the hell he had just gotten himself into. The unicorn breathed roughly in and out, trembling and watching as the devil rolled the contract shut and tucked it calmly away, and then he looked weakly up as Cupidus said softly: "Close your eyes." Knowing no other choice, Ardent Desire did so, before he felt a single claw touch his horn... and then there was only darkness, and pain. In the shadows that consumed his mind, he saw warped and fragmented memories, heard his mother screaming, and felt old nightmares grabbing him, dragging him down, pinning him as they surged up out of the deepest pits of his mind to remind him of all the things he'd tried to bury in the darkness of himself. As he writhed in the grip of not-memory, Cupidus calmly stood over the unicorn, studying him meditatively. Then the devil glanced up as Helena quietly approached from the archway, before the Kelpie flushed when the creature remarked calmly: "Your role was complete the moment he believed in your impression of Morning Glory. You are free to go." "I want to stay with him." Helena said quietly, and the devil surveyed her before the Kelpie whispered, bowing her head: "Please. Besides, I... I can still be of use. I can make sure he..." She broke off, trembling, and Cupidus shook his head slowly. "Charity. How useless. But very well. I will finish here, and then you may do as you please, so long as you do not interfere with my plans for the mortal and assist me when I ask for it. Do we have a deal?" "I would never make a deal with your kind, Cupidus. But I suppose we have an agreement." Helena murmured, looking away silently, and the devil only nodded before the Kelpie turned away, trembling a little... and then she suddenly rounded on him, almost shouting: "Why can't you let this one pathetic little mortal go? Just let him go! You're not interested in him anyway!" "Because he is simplest method to attain what I do desire. Besides, he may be of use to me in the future, and I have invested time and effort into him. Now, my investment has begun producing a profit. It would be a financial misstep to simply abandon this asset." Cupidus explained with derisive calm, as if speaking to a child. "Your advice has been noted and dismissed. Now please leave." For a few moments, Helena glared angrily at the devil... and then she finally spat to the side and turned around, storming away and trembling, leaving Cupidus to survey his current prize: the stepping stone to a very valuable soul. Top ↑ Category:Transcript Category:Story